For roofing contractors, the long and physically demanding schedules make it easy to slip into poor habits.
One such area that roofers struggle with is diet and eating healthy.
In the case of Roofing Insights CEO Dmitry Lipinskiy, he too used to struggle with maintaining a healthy diet, but as he aged and became more involved in fitness, he adopted a new lifestyle.
Throughout this physical transformation, Lipinskiy learned a lot, so here now are 12 tips for a healthy diet, courtesy of Lipinskiy and Roofing Insights.
1. Avoid sugar
It’s no secret that sugar is bad for your body.
In fact, consuming a lot of sugar can have adverse effects on your long-term health.
“Anything that has a lot of sugar is something you want to avoid,”
says Lipinskiy.
“I drink my coffee black. I drink my teas black. Take as many drinks as possible with zero calories. You will be happier. You’re not going to have sugar crashes and overall you will see a big difference. You will lose weight if you get rid of sugar.”
2. Avoid energy drinks
Popular beverages like Red Bull and Monster are advertised everywhere, but that doesn’t mean they are drinks that give your body the energy it needs in order to thrive.
“I understand some of you cannot imagine your life without them. You think that your heart will stop if you don’t have a Monster or your poison of choice, but I promise you this: your entire body will be thankful if you get a few bottles of water instead,”
shares Lipinskiy.
3. Eat less processed food
“If it comes in a wrapper, it’s not a healthy option,”
says Lipinskiy, who then offers an alternative option for those who regularly frequent fast-food restaurants or gas stations for lunch.
“Go to Chipotle and get some rice. You want carbs for energy. If you study professional athletes, their diets, and where they get their energy, you will be amazed. All you need is chicken and rice, and you will be productive. You will build muscle, you will look good, and you will look cleaner. Overall, you will see the positive changes in your energy levels.”
4. Eat baked instead of fried food
Places like KFC and Popeyes make for scrumptious dining options, but they also have the tendency to drastically drain your body of energy because they are greasy and high in fat content.
“The difference between a baked potato and a fried potato is huge,”
observes Lipinskiy.
“When I really started looking at this discrepancy and implementing new changes to my diet, I went from 17% body fat to 8%. It’s doable. It’s just little changes.”
5. Try fasting
The idea of not eating for an extended period of time can sound dreadful, especially if you’re accustomed to eating three times per day or more.
Lipinskiy is a huge advocate of fasting, citing not only the physical benefits that come as a result of cutting back on food consumption, but also the mental clarity that is achieved during a fast.
“You are skipping breakfast because you eat for eight hours and don’t eat for sixteen. I usually eat from 1:00-8:00 PM. I work out during fasting. You will be amazed how much energy your body actually stores from food that you ate the previous night,”
says Lipinskiy.
“Food puts you to sleep. There are so many things happening, especially if you eat donuts and other unhealthy stuff. Try fasting and every once in a while try to fast for the entire day.”
Lipinskiy then shares a story of how one of his friends tried fasting and experienced marvelous results:
“Recently one of my friends fasted for two days. He called me and said that he felt like he had a third eye. You will be focused. You actually will have different types of energy. You will be less addicted to food and when you do eat you will make better choices because now your window of eating is actually much shorter, so you want to have healthier food.”
6. Try a sauna
Most gym memberships include access to a sauna.
Saunas are a great way for your body to recover after working out, and many professional athletes swear by their benefits.
“You’re boosting testosterone,”
Lipinskiy says of people who use saunas.
“You’re detoxing your body. You’re relaxing your muscles.”
“I have a sauna built in my garage. I absolutely love it. The more you do, the better you are going to be at it. Your tolerance will grow. I love hot/cold combinations, so if you go in a sauna, you are going to feel like you have a new body.”
7. Collagen
“If you are in the trades and you bend a lot, you do floors, you are on your knees, or you are on roofs, then your joints are always stiff,”
notes Lipinskiy.
To counter this potential discomfort, Lipinskiy recommends taking collagen as a supplement.
“Professional arm wrestlers take a lot of collagens daily. It’s for your bones, joint health, and skin. These are also very cheap supplements,”
he says.
Speaking of arm wrestling, from December 9-10 in Orlando, Florida, Roofing Insights will be hosting an arm-wrestling event at the third annual Roofing Process Conference.
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8. MSM powder
MSM powder is not the most popular supplement on the market, but it is still essential for relieving joint pain.
“I buy it on Amazon and it’s very cheap. This is also for all your joints, shoulder pains, and elbow pains. I drink this almost daily now,”
says Lipinskiy.
“MSM powder doesn’t have any side effects. Your body actually loves it. Your body has MSM in it.”
9. Apple cider vinegar
For those who are struggling with losing weight, apple cider vinegar, when combined with good diet and exercise, is a great way to assist in shedding pounds.
Roofing Insights co-host Brent Simmons happily endorses apple cider vinegar, considering he lost nearly thirty pounds while infusing it into his diet.
Much like other supplements, apple cider vinegar can be consumed by mixing it with water.
“You take a tablespoon and you put it in a cup of water, or you can just chug it if you want,”
says Lipinskiy.
“I like it in my water. I usually do 2-3 tablespoons before going to bed. I also drink it in the morning before a workout. It has zero calories, so if you’re fasting you can still drink apple cider vinegar.”
10. Avoid drinking every day
The trappings of alcohol have been well-documented, and while complete abstinence is optimal, Lipinskiy assures roofing contractors that they do not have to completely avoid alcohol in order to have a healthy lifestyle.
“You can drink if you want. I’m not saying that alcohol is bad. What I’m saying is don’t drink daily. I see more and more guys drinking on roofs during the day. It’s not only installers. I’m also talking about the sales guys and the business owners,”
explains Lipinskiy, before adding a few key words of advice.
“Alcohol does not solve problems. It is a solvent, technically speaking, but I’ve been down that road, and before you know it, you need to start going to rehab. It might be time to quit drinking because I promise that the problems you will have at work or with your health will sooner or later start showing up. Alcohol is not your friend.”
11. Take supplements
In addition to the supplements already mentioned in this article, there are a few more that Lipinskiy and Roofing Insights recommends to roofing contractors.
“Supplements are not popular among men,”
says Lipinskiy.
“We don’t like to talk about them, but I am in the best shape of my life because of them. I take stuff like magnesium. It’s very good for your muscles.”
“Creatine is also good. It’s not going to have any side effects. If you load shingles daily, you need strength and extra power.”
12. Two YouTube channels that Lipinskiy recommends
With subscriber bases totaling over the one million mark, both fitness mogul Thomas DeLauer and Dr. Eric Berg are great resources when it comes to finding effective ways to become healthier.
As an avid follower of both channels, Lipinskiy says both offer simple and easy to follow information.
“Thomas DeLauer has a lot of good content about intermittent fasting and exercises in general. Dr. Bird is more focused on keto, but he breaks down what you should and shouldn’t eat in a very simple way,”
says Lipinskiy.
“You cannot outwork a bad diet. If you eat poorly, sooner or later you will collapse. The sooner you start living healthy, the better you’re going to be.”
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